Air à boire

Air à boire is a French term which was used between the mid-17th and mid-18th centuries for a "drinking song". These were generally strophic, syllabic songs to light texts. Its predecessor was chanson pour boire, the difference being mainly that chansons pour boire were for one voice with lute accompaniment, whereas airs à boire are generally for more than one voice. Airs à boire are generally contrasted with airs sérieux, which typically had texts on more serious matters, such as "love, pastoral scenes, and political satire." Most airs à boire occur in publications from Paris, and are for one to three voices and lute accompaniment.